1. Field of the Invention
The present invention describes a method for managing digital files, such as, for example, applications developed for digital TV, in a digital TV receiver apparatus with support for the execution of said digital files, as well as a manager of said digital files.
Particularly, the manager has a visual interface that enables the user to identify which applications are present in the digital TV receiver apparatus, install and/or uninstall applications, in addition to providing quick access to certain applications.
2. Prior Art
A digital TV receiver apparatus is a device capable of receiving and decoding the digital signals sent by broadcasters for presentation on a monitor. Said apparatus can be fixed (integrated to the TV set or not), portable or mobile.
Several applications already exist and are being developed for said receiver apparatus, and include, for example, solutions for e-business, program guides, access to stock exchange trading figures, weather forecast, games, surveys and many others.
In the model proposed for Brazilian digital TV, said applications are sent independently by broadcasters and received by digital receiver apparatus with support for interactivity, which are responsible for executing them. In this model, when we change channels, the current application is interrupted, and not saved, so that the application of another broadcaster can be loaded.
As the possibilities for interaction increase, along with the access speeds and the storage capacity of the digital TV receiver apparatus, new opportunities for the development of these applications appear.
In the proposed scenario, applications can be developed so that they co-exist on the digital TV receiver apparatus co-operatively in such a way that the user has a positive and satisfactory experience when using them. Furthermore, since resources are limited in digital TV receiver apparatus, there is a need to manage the applications, providing a streamlined control of said resources.
With this in mind, document WO 00/30346 describes a method for managing a receiver apparatus designed to manage the hardware components, such as sound and image components, memory, among others.
The present invention differs from this document by not being designed to manage the hardware, but rather the digital content that can be executed by the receiver apparatus.
The literature search revealed no documents revealing or suggesting the teachings of the present invention, to the extent that the solution proposed herein is novel and inventive in comparison with the state of the art.